I am 6 days post-op and down 20lbs. While I am happy with my loss I am sad. I did not realize how much food occupied my time. Food has soothed so much of my pain for so many years. Now I have nothing to cover things up/ to make things better. I am actually feeling depressed. I am forced to just be with my emotions for the first time in a long time. The crazy thing is....I am not hungry but I want food so bad. I did not expect this to happen to me. This journey will be about more than just getting healthy physically but mentally.

I'm so sorry your feeling depressed! I can relate, as I also felt very depressed after surgery. I felt sad for about 6 weeks. I feel back to my old self now, I hope you feel better soon. You may find some sessions with a good therapist very helpful! Good luck, if you need someone to talk to I'd love to listen! Feel better soon!

I am 6 days post-op and down 20lbs. While I am happy with my loss I am sad. I did not realize how much food occupied my time. Food has soothed so much of my pain for so many years. Now I have nothing to cover things up/ to make things better. I am actually feeling depressed. I am forced to just be with my emotions for the first time in a long time. The crazy thing is....I am not hungry but I want food so bad. I did not expect this to happen to me. This journey will be about more than just getting healthy physically but mentally.

I can completely relate! I didn't realize how preoccupied I was with food before surgery....I even watched the Food Network constantly after surgery. My now ex-boyfriend called it food porn for me....I started going to the all women's gym and socializing more. It once again re-surfaced for me about a year after surgery when I left my boyfriend and moved out on my own. The best thing I did for myself was to start going to counseling. I had already been going to a support group on a monthly basis and was going to the gym regularly, but for the first time in my life I had this ache that wouldn't go away and I simply couldn't eat it away.....being banded forced me to feel everything that I avoided for so many years. You're definitely NOT alone with this. Lean on your friends. Join a support group. Get counseling if that's an option. Find a healthy replacement behavior. Figure out who you are and where you want to be.....then pursue your new dreams. The most important thing for you to know is that it doesn't go away unless you address it. HOWEVER, it does get better!! I've been living alone now for almost 5 months and now love it. I had 2 rough months, but I'm ok now--actually far better than ok. Good luck. You'll get there, but it takes a while to undo years of a bad habit. :smile2:

Thanks everyone for replying. I think counseling would be a great thing for me. It is funny what you said about watching the food network. I have never watched that channel before or had any interest. However, yesterday I found myself watching it all day. This forum has been a big help to me and I am grateful for the responses.

I'm 4 1/2 weeks out and resurfacing from the depth of some really dark places. I too, relied heavily on food. It was my friend, my comfort, my source of enjoyment and solace. I ate for every reason and wasn't able to understand fully the consequences of my actions. The first few weeks of eating pureed food was miserable for me. And the taste of the crushed pills was making me not take them, so the Wellbutrin level in my system was totally out of whack (fixed when after speaking to my nutritionist who said to swallow nothing larger than a tic tac). All in all, I was a mess.

Somehow, it has begun to pass. Maybe it's because I'm seeing results, or maybe it's because I am just learning to accept I can feel happy, sad, lonely, confused, joyous without my (former) dear friend Mr. Softee or Ms. pizza.

So long story short: I feel your pain, sister. And yes, it is possible to deal with the anxiety around not being able to resolve or comfort your feelings with food. Maybe now you can pursue that hobby you've always wanted to try?

Ladies,

All I can say is that I've been there. I'm about 15 months post-op. and it gets better. It doesn't get better overnight and with every life stress that increases, it does resurface, but I'm free. Finally free. When you arrive in the place where I finally am, you will understand. For the very first time in my 36 years, my life is not dominated by food and it is the lightest I have felt ever---not because of the weight I've lost, but because of the pressure I've relieved. It gets better. I promise. :crying: